Exploring outer space has always fascinated humankind. For a long time our fantasies of space expeditions lived in cultural stories and folktales, but in the 20th century, alongside great adventures, it became a battleground for the Cold War. But today, with private companies seeking to gain economic and colonial power; a new space race is underway. One approach to commercialising space that fascinates me is the Cubesat (cube-shaped satellite), a palm sized satellite that plays a big role in democratising access to space. Mostly placed in low earth orbit, these tiny satellites rotate around the Earth in 120 minutes and provide a radio contact for 10 minutes before they disappear behind Earth’s curvature. How will people interact with a device that puts individuals in relation to the movement of the Earth?

With “Dear Satellite,” I tell the story of how a young boy forms a deep bond with one such orbiting satellite that is carrying the remains of his deceased mother. By exploring such a speculative future where our communication expands further out into Earth’s orbits, I want to challenge understood ideas of time and space.